Ekiti govt flays Fayose over ‘wild allegations’

Ekiti State Government has described the “unsubstantiated wild allegations” of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate, Ayodele Fayose, as “ordinary vituperations of a desperate politician” whose ambition of returning to the Oke Bareke Government House has turned to a wild goose chase.

The Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr. Tayo Ekundayo, said this while responding to a recent claim by the Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation that the recently awarded N1.4 billion contract for the Turn Around Maintenance of the Ero dam was to fund the re-election of Governor Kayode Fayemi.

The commissioner said the people of the state can not be fooled by the antics of the former governor whom they know for his “antecedents of subterfuge and misinformation.”

Ekundayo said that contrary to Fayose’s claims that the contract was a conduit-pipe to fund the governor’s campaigns, it was one of the efforts of government to ensure that the dam, which was constructed way back in 1985, returns to full capacity and able to deliver water to the people of nine of the 16 local government areas in the state.

Stressing that the dam has not undergone any Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) since it was constructed about 30 years ago, the government spokesman said that no rational thinking person would imagine that a contract that has just been awarded could be used to fund the campaign which is nearing conclusion.

He also added that Fayose is aware of the usual procedure it takes to process even the initial 30 per cent mobilisation to motivate the contractor to site.

“Fayose was in government for three and a half years. He didn’t deem it fit to refurbish the dam which was gradually silting up then. Rather, he was more concerned about mundane things like changing the nomenclature of the Water Corporation than improving actual water production in the state,” the Commissioner stated.

Ekundayo noted that it takes a fraudulent mind to conceive the idea of fraud in every genuine initiative, stressing that people in the state know that the likes of Fayose’s poultry project over which he is currently being prosecuted, is not in the character of the Fayemi-led administration.

On his reference to the 27.5 per cent TPA, Ekundayo reminded the impeached former governor that the issue was settled about one year ago during which it was agreed between the government and the teachers that 16 per cent would be paid immediately while the remaining 11.5 per cent would be paid as soon as the resources of the state improved.

“What the governor recently did was in fulfillment of the promise made which has nothing to do with the oncoming election,” the commissioner emphasised.

The state government, Ekundayo noted, “is a listening one which is why the TDNA that the teachers do not support has to be abandoned as we know that in a democracy the wish of the people must be respected.”

The commissioner also noted that Fayose, in his characteristic way of telling lies, said that he in 2003 appointed teachers as permanent secretaries and tutors-general.

“From available records, Fayose did not appoint teachers as tutors-general until 2006 when his impeachment was pending in the house and that could be considered as panicky measure. Or does Fayose not know that there is a marked difference between teachers and education officers?

“ Fayose did not appoint any teacher as permanent secretary during his controversial tenure contrary to his claim that the appointment of teachers to the position of PS was scrapped by successive administrations in the state.

“It is on record that the Fayemi administration, since its assumption of office in 2010, has appointed two education officers to the position of permanent secretaries and also appointed three teachers to the rank of tutors-general while 14 teachers were recently promoted to Special Grade Level 17,” Ekundayo stated.

He reiterated the determination of the administration to continue promoting its employees to the highest level in the service as shown in the civil service transformation agenda.

Also reacting to a statement credited to the Labour Party’s (LP)candidate, Opeyemi Bamidele, on payment of pensions and gratuities to retirees in the state, Ekundayo advised the LP candidate to properly consult with his deputy governorship candidate, Alhaja Mariam Abimbola Ogunlade, who was until recently, a major player of pension administration in the state that should have one or two clarifications on the issue of the pension funds.